Cannon with variable charge



LHO

BLE CHARGE I March 25, 1924.

' E. RlMAl VARIA CANNON wm;

e s-Sheet 1 Original Filed Feb- 17. 1922 March 25 1924.

E. RIMAILHO CANNON WITH VARIABLE CHARGE Original Filed Feb. 1'7. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet g Azf.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 E. RIMAI LHQ CANNON WITH VARIABLE CHARGE Originl Filed Feb. 17. 1922 March 25 Ufmwz2%- 5. 150/7;

m m w aim mm RN Patented Mar. 25, 12241.

rarer EIXIILE RIIHIAILHO, F PABIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOB TO CQIEPAGNIE DES FORGES ET ACIEBIES DE LA MARINE DE DHOBIECOUBT, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

CANNON WITH VARIABLE CHAR-GE.

Original application filed February 17, 1922, Serial No. 537,285. Divided. and. this application filed. April To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EMILE RIMAILI-IO, a citizen of the Republic of France, and residing at Paris, Seine Department, No. 12

Rue de la Rochefoucauld, in the Republic of France, have invented certain new and useful Cannon with Variable Charges, of which the following is a specification.

In patent application No. 537,285 a cannon was proposed comprising a normal powder chamber. and one or more additional chambers formed in the reenforce portion of the breech and surrounding and communicating with the former, in order to provide for the use of variable charges while maintaining. the. density of loading at a practically constant value.

In my present invention, the construction is much simplified by disposing the additional chambers coaxially with the said normal chamber and in line with this latter, and in this event the cannon may be closed by a simple breech-block placed at the rear.

The various chambers of increasing diameter are in sequence from front to rear,

the normal chamber being forwardly situated and corresponding to the smallest diameter.

When firing with reduced charge, the additional chambers not in use are filled up with inert plugs having a firing device extending through the same.

Should it be desired, instead of using such cylindrical bores of rearwardly increasing diameter in the breech, the arrangement may comprise a single tapered bore intended for firing with reduced charge, this being closed to within a suitable distance from the breech-block by inert plugs.

The appended drawing illustrates these various forms of construction by way of example.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section on the axis of the cannon in the case in which the chambers have a decreasing size and the firing is carried out with a reduced charge.

Fig. 2 is a like view corresponding to the firing with full charge.

Fig. 3 is a modification, with a single chamber of tapered shape.

Fig. 1 illustrates a cannon having at the rear a sleeve 16 for the insertion of a breechblock 17; two chambers in sequence are provided in the said sleeve. The front cham- Serial No. 534,838.

ber 18, or normal chamber, communicates with the bore 19 of the cannon; rearwardly of the chamber 18 is disposed the additional chamber 20, this being normally filled up by a plug 21 extending forwardly of the said breech-block. The latter is provided with the percussion elements 22; 23, 24; whereof 22 is the hammer acting through the intermediate rod 23 uponthe striker 24 adapted to strike the fuhninating primer secured to the cartridge 25.

In Fig. 2, the same cannon is represented for firing at the maximum range, and in this case the breech block 17 is no longer provided with the extension 21 shewn in Fig. 1, but has simply at the front part the circular claw 26 for the insertion of the cartridge 27 which is shewn in position in the additional chamber 20. v p I It is observed in Fig. 2 that the space available for the charge is much greater than in Fig. 1, and that the projectile which is fired in these conditions will receive a. much greater amount of energy from the gas of the powder.

In like manner, I may make use of two or more additional chambers placed in succession upon a common axis, and whereof the diameter increases towards the rear. Such chambers may have successively a cylindrical or a tapered form, and may be stepped or not; they may even, for the normal chamber, form a continuous cone having the large base at the rear.

This construction is shewn in Fig. 3 wherein a single tapered chamber is formed in the breech and is adapted for the insertion for instance of the breech-block 17 and the cartridge 27 for firing with full charge, or for the insertion of the said breech-block with an extension 21 and a cartridge255 so as to form a chamber of reduced size 18 for short range firing.

Claims: Y

1. In a cannon for firing with variable charges, the combination of a normal powder chamber disposed at the front part of the breech, one or more additional chambers coaxial with the said normal chamber and. communicating therewith, said additional chambers increasing in diameter towards the rear, a single breech-block adapted to close the last additional chamber, a firing device disposed in the said breech-block, and

said breech-block, and inert plugs of difierv ent heights adapted for insertion at the rear of the said powder chamber and carried by the said breech block.

In a cannon for firing with variable charges, the combination of a tapered powder chamber of large size formed in the breech, a breech-block disposed at the rear of the said chamber and at the large end of the same, a firing device disposed in the said breech-block, inert plugs of different heights adapted for insertion at the rear of the said powder chamber and carried by said breech block, and firing means extending axially through'the said plugs and serv ing as an extension of the first-mentioned firing device.

a. In a cannon for firing with variable charges, the combination of a normal powder chamber disposed at the front part of the breech, one or more additional chambers coaxial with the said normal chamber and 1 ,asaase communicating therewith, said additional chambers increasing in diameter towards the rear, a single breech-block adapted to close the last additional chamber, a firing device disposed within the said breech-block, inert plugs adapted to be inserted in the additional chambers in place of the charges and carried by said breech block, and firing means extending axially through the said plugs and serving as an extension of the first-mentioned firing device.

5. In a cannon for firing with variable charges, the combination of a normal powder chamber disposed at the front part of the breech, additional chambers co-axial with the said normal chamber and communicating therewith, said additional chambers lncreasing in diameter towards the rear, a'

single breech-block adapted to close the last additional chamber, a firing device disposed in the said breech-block and inert plugs adapted to be maintained in the walls of the said additional chambers in place of the charges.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of a subscribing witness.

EMILE RIMAILHO.

Witness EMILE COMPIN. 

